Mobile network providers should be proud about how they’ve faced the rough seas of a storm called Covid. All of us – individuals and businesses – owe them a massive “thank you” for the way they’ve kept the mobile communications ship upright during a time where gale force pandemic winds impacted how we used wireless technology for remote work, online schooling and personal connections.

Sadly, the journey is not over. Pandemic waves will continue to rise and fall for months or years to come. The good news is that operators now have a clearer understanding of how to navigate the waters. For the first time in almost two years, operators can take a deep breath and think about what’s next for their industry.

At Synchronoss, we’ve been thinking about this a lot as well, especially in how our customers can leverage personal cloud to their benefit. We see two emerging areas that must not be ignored.

5G FWA and Home Cloud

Consumer desire for a shared home-based personal cloud cannot be denied. A single personal cloud plan that covers everyone with all devices under one account is quickly turning into a “must have” – especially for subscribers who have been managing multiple clouds to accommodate multiple devices and users. Operators who can deliver an unlimited shared home cloud are sitting on a huge revenue opportunity as well as the chance to grow their relevance and relationships with customers.

Part of the driver for this is the rapid rollout of 5G fixed wireless access (FWA).

Why? Because subscribers crave 5G and its potential to deliver data speeds that exceed current broadband networks. This is a huge plus for high-speed video connectivity at home, near instantaneous cloud uploads and downloads of massive files, and the ability to view or stream those files in the cloud with minimal latency. A single home cloud also results in a much-improved sharing experience across devices and between individuals. The positive impact on customer satisfaction cannot be downplayed.

We truly believe that now is the time for operators to get a jump on the fast-coming home value-added services opportunity made possible by a 5G FWA-powered carrier grade cloud offering – a set of services that includes protecting the precious data and content of every member of a household, safeguarding security system feeds, and much more. It’s a win for operators and a win for subscribers.

A Content ‘Super App’

Telcos that have a backup-focused personal cloud as part of their core services can further cement their roles as essential services providers by introducing new functionality into those cloud offerings. We are fully confident that deliberately building a “whole home cloud” will deliver new competitive differentiation, new revenue opportunities and new ways to delight customers.

So how would this work? The fastest and most efficient way is to integrate disparate apps into a personal cloud offering. Leveraging APIs and SDKs will give customers novel ways to interact with their content – whether that be real-time tagging and instantaneous sharing with contacts or providing personally curated memories that can be easily packaged with a flower delivery for Mother’s Day, a wedding anniversary or other special events. The possibilities – and the revenue opportunities – are endless.

So why is personal cloud the future for operators? Of all the reasons, I keep coming back to one in particular: trust.

Subscribers are savvy consumers who have serious concerns in the way many other cloud providers regularly monetize customer data and online activity for their own gain. Those same subscribers are also aware of how a single security breach at one of those other cloud providers – a headline that is no longer unusual – can cause a slew of problems. Operators have worked hard to earn their outstanding reputations as organizations that can be counted on to protect subscriber privacy as well as digital content. The amazing trust they have with their subscribers cannot be discounted.

As we sail forward into 2022, operators can no longer ignore the possibilities that cloud can deliver. The time has come to capitalize on the next tide of opportunity: personal cloud.